KJAS: Officer one of five to quit Jasper PD since February

An officer who had served on the Jasper Police Department for seven years is the latest to quit the force after controversy within the department, KJAS reports.

Officer Garrett Foster, a detective in the department with the highest rate of cases solved, submitted his resignation Monday, according to KJAS. Foster was one of at least three employees who were demoted May 23.

Foster is one of five employees to quit and one to be fired in recent weeks, KJAS reports. He is also one of three of those employees to file discrimination complaints against the city.

The departures have all occurred since February, when Rodney Pearson became chief of the Jasper Police Department. At least three employment complaints have been made against the City of Jasper since that time, alleging discrimination based on race, according to earlier Enterprise stories. A group identified as The League of Concerned Citizens for Jasper has also filed a petition to recall three council members the group alleges were possibly unethical in their hiring process for Pearson.

Pearson’s attorney David Bernsen told the Enterprise in July that Pearson had 22 years of experience with the Department of Public Safety, had received more than 3,000 hours of specialized training and is “more than qualified to be the chief.”